The Wings of Hope
by Ghost Whisper
Summary: A mergence occurs, and one can not go back to the way he once was. All that can be done, is start a new life. He will protect her...but will his old life come back to haunt him? DigimonCCS crossover
1. Chapter 1: Change and Loss

Last edited Oct20, 2004

Disclaimer: I do not own Digimon or Cardcaptors. All rights to Digimon go to the people who created and produced it. Rights to Cardcaptors go also to the people who created and produced it – Nelvana in North America, and CLAMP in Japan. This story was only written for fun and not profit. Do not steal the plot though, as that is mine.

A.N. '...' Means someone's thoughts. I wasn't sure how old Sakura is near the beginning of the series, but I wanted her and TK to be the same age, so I made them both 12. Also, I am a person who only has access to the North American versions of both shows. Please don't be upset it I use the N.A. first names. I tried to keep them in character as much as possible, but I totally changed the Digimon plotline so there are bound to be differences – it's writer's prerogative. Set around beginning of the second season of Cardcaptors.

* * *

**Wings of Hope**

****

**Chapter 1 – Change and Loss**

Piedmon was laughing. At the very top of the magically suspended rope, TK and Kari clung for dear life. Not too far away, Angemon was fighting to save them, though the chances of that seemed bleak. Monsters surrounded him on all sides, and he was struggling just to protect himself. It hardly seemed likely that he would be able to reach the two children in time.

Piedmon laughed, and TK's thoughts ran about in circles. His brother Matt, and all the others who would end up hurt if he didn't do something.

'There has to be a way to beat him. I can't lose anyone else.' Piedmon threw another set of swords at the rope, cutting it off just below TK's feet. There was no place to go except for up, but even the amount of rope above him was running out. The young boy gripped the rope tighter, and wished desperately for a way to beat the evil digimon. His eyes squeezed shut in terror, he didn't even notice when both his crest and Angemon began to glow with a fierce golden light.

'I have to beat Piedmon,' TK thought. Suddenly, the golden light erupted with a flash around Angemon, now so intense that TK could see it behind his closed eyelids. He opened his eyes, only to watch in horror as his digimon condensed into a stream of light, which headed into his crest: The Crest of Hope.

"Angemon, no!" he cried, as one of his best friends seemed to disappear.

'I'm sorry TK, but I have to do this. There is no other way of defeating Piedmon.' Angemon's voice sounded apologetic in his mind. Immediately he felt a burst of power flow into him. He cried out as the golden light that had surrounded Angemon now engulfed him. TK transformed.

His hair grew down to his waist, and was held in place by a gold band across his forehead, with a green gem in the center. His clothes changed into baggy white pants tucked into boots of the same color that came halfway to his knees, with a green and gold band along the top. He also wore a white shirt with sleeves that gathered at the cuffs with green and gold embroidery that resembled vines and stars. Out of all the changes that occurred, two of them were more apparent than the others. The first was the simple fact that he had aged, so that he now appeared to be older – at least twelve, and the second was the large pair of wings that were now on his back.

"I am Hope," he said to Piedmon, who by now had stopped laughing, a nervous expression on his face. "And I am your end."

Reaching out his had, he seemed to grab from thin air a staff. It was crystal with gold vines twining around its length. At the top, the vines split into three, holding in place a glowing green orb. Hope held the staff in front of him and traced a circle shape in the air, leaving behind it a glowing ring of power.

"Justice Ring!" he cried, pointing the end of his staff at the center of the ring. As he shouted his attack, the ring flew forward, wrapping itself about Piedmon before he could dodge it. As soon as it closed itself about the dark master, the ring formed a pillar of light that shot to the sky. When it faded, all that was left were a few sparkling bits of data.

Turning around, Hope faced the key chains that had been his friends. Not to far from them, Kari had climbed down from the rope and fainted. Pointing his staff at his friends, he whispered "Cleansing Light." The key chains glowed briefly, and turned back into the living children, who now lay unconscious on the ground. Looking at their crumpled bodies, he came to a decision.

"It would be better if they didn't remember this," he said softly. "Any of this. Or me, for I can never completely return to what I once was." His thoughts settled briefly on an image of himself at the summer camp, laughing at one of his brother's jokes not long before they had been transported to the digital world. He hadn't known then of the mess that would begin all so soon.

Raising his staff once more – 'the last time' he thought to himself – he prepared use his magic once more. This time, it used no words, no special effects. The seven digi-destined children just seemed to fade away back into their own world.

He sighed, looking even older than his apparent eleven year at the moment.

'I cannot go back,' he thought. 'But perhaps I can make myself a new life, for they who were once my family, do not know me anymore. My life will never be what it once was, and neither shall I.'

Extending his senses into the 'real' world, he scanned over various parts of Japan and the rest of the world. Finally, he found a place that seemed the right area to begin anew. A town called Reedington.

Using a little more of his rapidly diminishing energy, he created a small portal and left the digital world, reappearing in a side street of Reedington where there were no people. With a sigh, he finally released the tight grip he had on his power, and felt himself shimmer back to normal – at least as normal as he could be now.

He looked like an ordinary human. His wings had vanished, his clothing had become normal jeans and a t-shirt, and his hair had shortened, now slightly spiky. Although he looked more normal, his mergence with Angemon had been to complete for him to fully change back. He still appeared to be around twelve years old, and he continued to have knowledge beyond his true years.

"Oh well." He muttered, starting to walk towards the more populated area of town. 'I knew that I couldn't change completely back. I'm lucky that I didn't keep the wings.'


	2. Chapter 2: Meetings and Hidden Truths

Disclaimer: I do not own Digimon or Cardcaptors. All rights to Digimon go to the people who created and produced it. Rights to Cardcaptors go also to the people who created and produced it – Nelvana in North America, and CLAMP in Japan. This story was only written for fun and not profit. Do not steal the plot though, as that is mine.

A.N. '...' Means someone's thoughts. I wasn't sure how old Sakura is near the beginning of the series, but I wanted her and TK to be the same age, so I made them both 12. Also, I am a person who only has access to the North American versions of both shows. Please don't be upset it I use the N.A. first names. I tried to keep them in character as much as possible, but I totally changed the Digimon plotline so there are bound to be differences – it's writer's prerogative. Set around beginning of the second season of Cardcaptors.

* * *

**Chapter 2 – Meetings and Hidden Truths**

When TK came upon the park, he decided to take a shortcut through it. Not only would it be a shorter distance to the house, he reasoned, but it would also be more scenic. He always had had an appreciation growing things and the life they represented, and that appreciation was only amplified by his mergence with Angemon, who was, after all, an angel.

Walking down one of the paths, he suddenly felt an intense feeling of warning; as if something important, maybe bad, were about to happen. Looking up from the ground and checking out his surroundings, he saw two girls about his age: one with sort brown hair in pigtails and emerald green eyes, and the other with long black hair held partially back with a yellow bow.

Gazing at them, he saw a powerful aura around the brown haired girl, as if she had some sort of powers. A moment later, he also noticed something else, which made his eyes widen. They were walking not too far from him, and were concentrating on their conversation so much, that they didn't even notice the tree branch above the green eyed girls head that was just about to break off. TK ran toward them, determined to get them out of the way of the falling branch.

"Look out!" he shouted, pushing both of them out of the way just as the branch broke off. He wasn't so lucky. Unable to get out of the way in time, TK looked on in horror as the branch came crashing down on his head. 'I need to be more careful,' he thought, before everything went black.

* * *

"Sakura!" Madison shouted. "Are you okay?" Her fallen friend picked herself off the ground with a small groan. Shaking her had and causing her pigtails to swing back and forth, Sakura turned to face Madison.

"I'm okay," she told her. Turning to the boy who had saved them, she saw that he was unconscious. "I don't think he is though. That tree branch must have fallen on his head." She bent over, seeing the rapidly swelling bump on the side of his head.

"Hey Squirt. What's going on?" a voice came from out of nowhere.

"Aughhh!" Sakura jumped up and turned around. "Tory! Don't scare me like that!"

Peering behind his sister and her friend, he saw the injured boy lying crumpled on the ground behind his sister and her friend. "What happened to them?" A frown appeared on his face.

"He saved me and Madison from that falling branch." Sakura told her brother, pointing to the offending piece of tree.

"He saved you?" An eyebrow rose, and his frown deepened. "We can't just leave him here. Come on, I'll take him back to our house and then call a doctor." Stooping down, he picked up the unconscious boy and started carrying him to his house.

* * *

TK groaned and tried to sit up. "Did anyone get the license plate on that truck?" he mumbled. He felt like someone was beating over the head with a stick. 'Oh yeah...I did get hit in the head with a stick – A very large stick' he corrected himself, thinking of the tree branch that had fallen on his head.

"You should stay lying down," a voice told him. "The doctor says that you shouldn't be moving around a lot." Looking up, TK saw a teenage boy with short dark brown hair. His expression was unreadable, but TK thought he saw a glimmer of suspicion in his eyes.

"Where am I?" TK asked. "And who are you?"

"You're at my house," the stranger told him. "My little sister is one of the girls that you saved, so I thought that it was the least I could do. Mind telling me who you are?" His voice, just like his expression, was emotionless. 'Why does he seem so suspicious of me?' TK wondered. 'I guess I can use my real name though, since no one I knew before will remember me.'

"My name is Takeru Takashi," he told his 'interrogator', "but you can call me TK." 'Better make up something convincing that he'll believe' he thought. "I just moved here, and was taking a look around, seeing the sites. I was walking through the park, and I saw that branch about to fall on those two girls. They probably told you the rest. Which one was your sister?"

He tried to make his question sound as innocent as possible. He knew from seeing the way Tai acted about Kari, that big brothers could be very protective. He didn't really feel like having this boy chase him around, especially not with the way his head was pounding. The older boy was just about to answer him, when the two girls from the park came into the room.

"Tory! What are you doing interrogating him! He just woke up, and he probably has a big headache." The brown haired girl with the magical aura glared at the other boy. TK guessed that she was the little sister that he had saved, which would make this boy – Tory – her older brother.

"It's okay," TK said hastily, trying to head off any arguing that might occur. I don't mind. He just wanted to know who I am anyway."

The girl looked a bit happier. "I wanted to thank you for saving Madison and me," she told him. "By the way, I'm Sakura Kinomoto. You've already met my brother Tory," she sent a glare in the dark haired boys direction, "and this is my friend Madison."

"I'm TK," he introduced himself for the second time. Pushing himself off the couch, he got a little shakily to his feet. "I really don't want to intrude on you anymore," he told the girls. "I probably should be getting home anyway. My parents will be worried about me."

'That's a good one,' he thought. 'I'll be living alone, and my parents don't even remember that I exist. Not only did I erase their memories of me, but I removed all traces of myself from that area. Luckily, I had a little hiding spot in the digital world to store a few of my more important things.'

"Don't worry," he told Sakura, who looked like she was thinking about arguing. "I'll be fine. It's just a headache anyway." The two girls looked doubtful, but didn't make any comments.

"Where do you live?" Madison asked him. "I can give you a ride if it's farther away."

"Not to far from here," he reassured them. "Just over by Cherry grove lane. I just moved here."

"Really? That would explain why we haven't seen you around before. Do you know which school you'll be going to?" Both girls seemed excited at the prospect of a new friend.

"I'm not totally sure," TK told them. "I think I heard my parents say something about Reedington Elementary, but I'm not sure."

"Great!" Sakura told him. "That's the school me and Madison go to. We'll probably even be in the same class. You're grade five right?"

"Yeah, I am. So you'll be able to show me around and stuff huh? It'll sure make going to a new school easier if there's someone I know there already."

"We'd be glad to show you around." Sakura said.

"Thanks. Well, I guess I probably better be going now. I don't want to keep my parents waiting. Nice to meet you Sakura, Madison. You too Tory!" TK walked down the street, ignoring his headache. Already things were looking up. A falling tree branch wasn't really his idea of a way to meet someone, but he was still glad it had happened.

'I'll have to keep an eye on Sakura though,' he though. 'Not many people have auras like that. The fact that she has one, especially as strong as it is, probably means that she has some special destiny. Her brother Tory has one too, though his doesn't seem quite as powerful, and there was something else in that house, something that felt powerful too, but also different.'

* * *

Tory watched the boy TK walk down the street away from his house. Though he seemed nice enough, he couldn't shake the strange feeling of power he got whenever he looked him. There was something strange about that kid. In a way, he sort of felt like Julian did. Not long ago he had began feeling weird flashes of power whenever he was around Julian, and his friend had been more tired of late as well. He still hadn't managed to talk to Julian about the power and other presence he had sensed around him yet. Now he would have one more person to worry about. 'I'll have to watch out for Sakura...'

* * *

TK really did have a house on the street he had named to Madison. He would soon anyway. While still in his earlier form of Hope, he had created some documents listing a 'guardian' who had bought this house and whom he lived with. It wasn't true of course. He would be living in that house alone, but none of his friends would know that.

'I've just met them and already I consider them friends...' He shook his head slightly. They might be his friends, but he wouldn't be able to really tell them about himself, about what he was. No, he would use some clever little story about his parents being out of town or at work. Even with his new life, there would always be remnants of his previous one that would haunt him...

* * *

_She was wearing a costume of white and gold with a star on her hat, and running, though she wasn't sure why. She was in a house, and as she moved past the door, she glanced inside. Clow Reed's face; he was laughing and smiling. Falling leaves. She was outside now. A tree. Keroberos and Yue were sitting beneath it. _

'_What's going on?'_

_The scene changed abruptly. It was night. To her left were three figures on a rooftop. Just their silhouettes were visible. The Clow cards floating around her, but they were different. Pink now, with stars. Glance to her right. Another figure's silhouette; one with wings. 'Yue?' But this one appeared to be smaller than Yue was. 'Who are you?'_

'BRINGGGG!'

"Aughhh!" Sakura woke with a start as her alarm clock went off almost directly in her ear. "Sakura! What's wrong?" Kero floated sleepily over to her.

"Kero, I just had another weird dream."


	3. Chapter 3: New Friends

**Chapter 3 - New Friends**

2 days later

TK was standing in the hallway of a school waiting outside of his new classroom. He was waiting for the teacher to announce the new students that were joining the class. It was new 'students' because there was another boy, Eli Moon, who was also new. Both boys stood on either side of the classroom door.

It was strange. This boy who was also starting school today had a powerful magical aura, just like that Sakura girl had. 'How many more people am I going to see with an aura like this?' He shifted, feeling faintly uncomfortable. The door opened, and the teacher ushered them both into the class.

"Class, today we have two new students joining us. Would you two like to introduce yourselves?" Eli stepped forward, smiling.

"Hello, I'm Eli Moon. It's nice to meet you." Smiling and stepping forward himself, TK gave a small bow.

"Hi. I'm Takeru Takashi, but you can call me TK. I'm glad to meet you too."

"Everyone, I hope you try to get along with Eli and TK. Eli, you can take a seat next to Rita, and TK, you can sit next to Li. Li, Rita, would you two raise your hands." When the two students raised their hand (Li looking somewhat wary), TK and Eli walked to their seats.

TK gritted his teeth, the boy he would be sitting next to also had a powerful magical aura; nearly as strong as Sakura's. Deciding to ignore the tingling feeling their auras gave him, he plastered a smile on his face.

"Hi Sakura. It's nice to see you again; you too Madison. I guess you were right when you said we would be in the same class. I'm glad. Like I said the other day, it makes it easier when you know someone." He leaned forward to talk quietly to the girl who was sitting in front of Li.

"Hey TK!" Sakura whispered back, turning slightly to face him, but not enough that her teacher would notice. "How's your head?"

"It's fine now; thanks for asking." Next to him, Li turned in his seat to glare at him.

"What happened to it?" Before TK could find the words to reply, Sakura turned around in her seat to answer Li. "He saved me and Madison from a falling tree branch at the park yesterday. The branch hit him on the head before he could move out of the way again." This seemed to upset the boy even more. 'I bet he likes Sakura,' TK thought.

"Nice...Uh...stuffed animal" he said, seeing the stuffed yellow bear with wings lying on her desk. A powerful magic was coming from it. 'This must be the other power I sensed in her house,' he thought. 'Strange that it would be coming from a stuffed animal though.'

Sakura looked down at the toy lying on her desk, and blushed bright red, stuffing it into her backpack.

"He was mine – when I was little. Tory must have put him in my bag to tease me again. Ha Ha." Her laughter sounded a little strained. Just then their teacher began to speak, and TK decided that it would be wise to start paying attention. He didn't want to get into trouble on his first day.

* * *

Li glared at the two new boys. He couldn't help but feel suspicious about these two. Every time he looked at them, he felt something strange. The last time he had had this sort of feeling, it had been Julian, who had turned out to be Yue.

The rest of the day passed without anything spectacular happening for TK. He had no real trouble with any of his classes thanks to 'growing up' after his fusion with Angemon. After school, Sakura offered to show him around town. "Sure," TK accepted. "It'll be nice to have someone show me the sights."

"Do you want to come too Li?" Sakura asked. The boy seemed like he was going to refuse, than thought better of it. Sending another glare in TK's direction, he answered

"Fine." The three left the classroom, with Madison following them. She had decided to tag along to, and was carrying her video camera with her.

"I want to try out this new model I got. Some shots of you guys and the town would be perfect," she explained.

Although the four of them were not aware of it, they were being watched as they left. Eli was still sitting at his desk, apparently going over some of his homework. 'I'll have to keep an eye on them,' he thought. 'Sakura and Li seemed to have picked up a new friend. One who seems to be at least as powerful as they are, if not more. This could make things more difficult.'

* * *

"Over there is Penguin Park" Sakura pointed out, as they walked down the street. The sun was going down, and they were nearing the end of their tour. "A lot of us like to hang out there. It's also one of Madison's favorite places to shoot movies." With that comment, the two girls exchanged a 'look'; as if they were both thinking about some secret know only to them. Actually, Li had gotten a strange expression on his face as well, though he didn't seem to be paying much attention to the girls talk.

"Excuse me," he cut in. "I need to talk to Sakura for a minute." Without even waiting for the girl's permission, he grabbed her by the wrist, and dragged her over to a spot a ways away from TK and Madison. Though TK couldn't here what was being said, he did notice Sakura's wide-eyed reaction as soon as Li finished speaking to her. She rushed back over to the spot where TK and Madison were waiting.

"I'm so sorry TK, but Li just reminded me that I promised my Dad I'd...Uh...Clean out the garage today. I gotta go! Talk to you later!" Her words faded out, as she raced down out of the park and down the street.

"Well that was sudden," TK remarked, a slightly amused look on his face. Madison looked like she was about to apologize for her friend. "That's okay, Madison. I don't mind. It's getting dark out anyway. And a promise is a promise."

'I'm not quite sure she was telling me the truth though. She wouldn't have been so nervous if it really was just a promise to clean the garage. Maybe I should follow her; but I can't let her see me.'

As it turned out, following Sakura wasn't really that hard. Her and Li were running so fast towards downtown Reedington that they didn't even notice him following close behind. All he had to do was duck into the occasional alleyway when they turned a corner so that they didn't see him.

By the time they reached the library, which seemed to be their destination, the sun had completely gone down, and it was dark outside. TK quickly jumped behind a nearby building so he wouldn't be caught.

"Li, you were right. I can feel Clow Reed's magic too. But how? I thought he was dead? And besides, all the Clow Cards have been captured." Sakura seemed quite obviously worried.

'They can feel someone's magic?' Allowing a small bit of his own magic to trickle forth, TK found that he could sense someone else's magic as well. This someone was definitely not Sakura or Li. For one thing, it was more powerful. For another, it 'felt' a lot older; as if it had been around for several centuries.

_Crunch!_ TK quickly pulled back his magical senses and brought his attention back to the world around him. The crunching sound was coming from across the street, where a statue had come to life, and had just stepped down from the pedestal it was on. Sakura and Li had noticed it as well, because Li had pulled a sword from what appeared to be thin air, and Sakura had pulled a necklace with a small charm out.

"Oh key of Clow, power of magic, power of light, surrender the wand, the force ignite! Release!" When nothing happened, Sakura's eyes widened, a faint look of fear showing up on her face when she looked over at the statue, which was making its way across the street toward the two.

"Li! Nothing happened. The key won't work!" Li glance over at the girl, confusion etched on his face. "How could it not work? You're the card mistress. It has to!" The statue had nearly reached them now, and Sakura and Li began to run to escape it.


	4. Chapter 4: Introductions

**Ghost Whisper:** Hey minna! Nothing much to say this time, except that the next chapter should be out soon. Also, please review! I love hearing from you guys! 

Disclaimer: I Silver Angel do not own either Card Captor Sakura, or Digimon. They belong to their respective creators, and I get no profit from this story.

* * *

**Chapter 4 – Introductions**

Li bought up his sword, and threw out a paper charm of some sort. "Force know my plight, release the light! Lightning!" A large streak of lightning shot from Li's the sword and charm, causing the statue to pause momentarily, but continue toward them again with no apparent damage.

"I'll try again!" Sakura yelled back to Li. Pausing for a moment in her mad dash form the statue, Sakura called out the releasing spell once more.

"Oh key of Clow, power of magic, power of light, surrender the wand, the force ignite! Release!" Again, to her dismay, nothing happened.

Watching his two friends, TK decided that maybe it was time he stepped in and helped them. He didn't really know much about what was going on, but one thing he knew for certain, was that Sakura and Li could be seriously hurt if he didn't help them. Li's magic didn't seem to affect the animated statue, and for some reason, Sakura couldn't even seem to summon her magic.

"I can't stand around and let them get hurt like Matt and the others did when we faced Piedmon. Not this time when I know that I can do something." Summoning forth his true form, TK's body began to glow with a golden light. Within seconds, he was in his magical form; that of Hope.

As he stepped out from the shadows, Sakura and Li hardly noticed him as they sprinted away from the now running statue. As it gained on the two, it moved its arm up as if to strike at them. "Shield of heaven!" Hope shouted, causing an invisible wall to form between his friends and the statue, and blocking its intended blow.

* * *

Sakura looked up at the person who had stepped in to help them. It was...an angel. The person looked strangely familiar, with golden hair reaching to their waist, and large wings like Yue's. It was definitely not Yue though. Their protector was much smaller than Yue for one thing. Something clicked in Sakura's mind. "My dream..." she whispered, remembering the silhouette that she had mistaken for Yue.

He looked down at her, a wise and old seeming look in his eyes for one who appeared no older than them physically. "Why can you not call your magic?" Hearing his voice, Sakura was once again struck by the feeling that she knew this person. She looked down at the key hanging on its chain in her hand. A pink circle with a star in the middle, and a small end made it remind he of a miniature staff. It had changed form after the final judgment with Yue, and Clow Reed had told her that it now drew its power from her own star.

"I – I don't know," she told him. "I can't seem to call forth the wand to release the Clow cards." She knew that maybe she shouldn't trust her mysterious guardian with the secret of the Clow cards, but strangely, she felt as if she _could_ trust him. It wasn't just the fact that he had saved her and Li from the rampaging statue either. It was – his aura for lack of a better word. In a way, it reminded her of the Light card, but not quite. Rather than light, he seemed to radiate a feeling of purity, and hope; just as if he really were the angel he seemed to be.

Her 'guardian angel' frowned as his shield began to weaken under the statue's continuing onslaught. He had the power to shield them, but she wasn't really sure how much strength he had. When his shield went down, would he be able to put it back up? Or would he be able to do anything more against the statue? Maybe he was only able to do protective magic, like the shield card. Sakura knew she had to do something. She had to figure out how to call forth the wand, or staff or whatever it was since it had changed.

Changed... The word rang in her head. The wand had changed. Maybe the words she used to call it forth had changed too. It didn't really look like the Clow key anymore. Now it was a staff. A phrase seemed to pop into her head that she instinctively knew would work.

"I think – I think I know what to do now." She told Li and the angel. Holding the necklace out, she brought forth the magic circle. "Oh key of the star, with powers burning bright, reveal the staff, and shine your light! Release!" This time, when she called out the new words, her key turned into a long staff topped with a pink circle with a gold colored star inside.

'Now which card should I use..." she wondered. "Windy and Water probably won't work well against a statue, but Firey might. Fire melts steel after all.' Bringing out the Clow card, she threw it up into the air.

"Firey, release and dispel!" Instead of coming down on top of her staff to activate though, the card just drifted down to the ground. "Huh? Not again!" 'I have to help Li and that person who saved me.' Glancing to her side, she saw that Li was in fighting stance, his sword raised to strike the moment the shield their protector had raised fell.

'Think Sakura! If the staff changed, maybe the cards need to change too!" She grinned. That had to be it. Holding up the Firey card once more, she threw it up into the air. "I call upon the power of my star, ancient forces near and far, Firey card transform all your might, and draw your power from my light! Firey!"

* * *

Hope watched Sakura out of the corner of his eye, dividing his attention between holding the shield up between him and his friends, and seeing what Sakura was doing. He could have dropped the shield and blasted the statue with a spell, but he had the feeling that this was a test of some sort. This was something Sakura needed to do for herself.

_People don't have auras like hers for no reason. It always means that 'destiny' has something special in store for them. Look at my brother and me. We didn't know it, but we had powerful auras as well and we turned out to be the digidestined. It was the same way with the others, though I couldn't feel it until I became Hope._

He brushed the memories aside to concentrate on holding the shield erect. Hiding a tiny smile as Sakura finally managed to call forth the staff, he watched as she pulled out a red and gold card with a sun and moon design on one side, and a picture of some sort of fire spirit on the other.

At first, when she tried to call upon the card's power, it too failed. She picked it up and stared hard at it. Hope believed she was trying to figure out what to do. As soon as the grin appeared on her face, he knew that she had found her answer.

He watched with interest as she threw the card up into the air, calling out different words this time. When she struck the card with her staff, there was a burst of light, and the card changed from red and gold, to pink and white, with some gold. As soon as it had changed, a spirit pushed itself out of the card. It looked sort of like a girl, except most of it was made out of fire. A smirk was on its face.

"Firey, stop that statue!" At Sakura's command, the fire spirit moved toward the statue, causing the metal it was made out of to begin to glow with heat. As if it knew when it was beaten, the statue turned around and walked back toward the pedestal across the street, stepping up and becoming immobile once again.

'Well it's a good thing that's over, and she was able to stop it on her own.' Hope thought. 'Now I just have to watch what I say so I don't blow my cover.' He didn't really have to worry though, because almost immediately after the Firey card returned, Sakura swayed and fainted, with Li jumping to catch her just before she hit the pavement.

"Sakura!" Li jumped to catch her just before she hit the ground. 'I don't believe it. Somehow, she managed to transform the cards.' He looked down at her worriedly for a moment. 'That must be why she fainted.' Relief filled him for a moment, before he remembered their 'rescuer' and questions filled his mind. He looked up and gave the new person a suspicious glare. "All right, who are you?"

Worry flickered through Hope for a minute, while possible answers and responses played themselves through his mind. He definitely couldn't tell Li who he really was. He wanted to leave his old life behind and start a new one when he came here. He couldn't do that if his new friends found out who and what he really was.

'I don't want to lie to them – friends are supposed to be able to trust each other after all – but they leave me no choice. Pushing his doubts aside, he made up his mind.

"You can call me Hope." He told the angry looking Li. It wasn't exactly a lie anyway, just not the whole truth. "You don't need to know anything else about me." Li looked as if he wanted to argue, so before he could even open his mouth, Hope spread his wings and took to the air. The night quickly swallowed his retreating form, forestalling any more questions that he might have to lie about.

* * *

Three figures stood silhouetted on the rooftop of a nearby building. The crescent moon gave just barely enough light to reveal an outline. "He looks a lot like Yue, don't you think master?" the taller one asked it was a girl. "If it weren't for how long I've known you, I would think that you had made yourself another familiar."

"You're not jealous are you Ruby?" the panther shaped silhouette asked.

"Don't be silly Spinney. How could I be jealous of him? He may be a Yue look-alike, but for all that he is still a child. You did notice his size didn't you?"

"Of course I did. And don't call me Spinney; you know I hate it. My name's Spinnel." A quiet chuckle could be heard at the obvious irritation in the panther's voice. The third figure, which had remained silent until now, spoke up.

"Stop bickering you two. They may not know we're here right now, but I don't want to spend the extra energy to keep us magically hidden because they hear you." Eli was not usually this terse with his familiars. This new person – Hope – who had appeared on the scene to help out Sakura however, had upset his plans, and could cause problems.


	5. Chapter 5: Suspicion

**Ghost Whisper:** Hey minna! Chapter five up! Nothing to say, except please read and review! I love reviews!

* * *

**Chapter 5 – Suspicion**

"I'm telling you Kero, he was just like an angel. He looked a lot like Yue actually, though he was smaller and younger, which might be why I mistook him for Yue in my dream when I saw his silhouette. I don't suppose you know anything about him do you? Especially seeing as you did know about Yue."

Sakura was sitting up in her bed under the covers, even though it was a school day. She had been too exhausted to move this morning do to transforming the Clow card into a Star card, and her father had thought she might be sick. She was glad he had let her stay home from school. She probably wouldn't have been able to get through the day without some more rest.

"No, I've never heard of him Sakura. What did he say his name was again? Hope?"

"Yeah that's what Li said. I was unconscious at the time, so I missed his introduction, but I don't think I missed much. Apparently he flew off as soon as he said his name – before Li could even ask something else. I wonder what he's hiding?"

"Well I think you're just lucky that he seems to be on your side. If weird things like this keep happening, it definitely can't hurt to have a little help." A thoughtful frown appeared on Kero's face.

"Still, I wouldn't trust him too far. A guy who shows up just as things start to happen again, and then will hardly tell you his name sounds like he has something to hide – not necessarily good either."

"Oh Kero, you worry too much." Sakura sighed. Kero might not be jumping too conclusions, but he still didn't trust her secretive protector.

"I'm sure he can't be that bad. Just because he showed up around the same time, it doesn't mean he's bad. Besides, he did protect me and Li."

"Sakura!" A voice cried from outside her window. It was Madison. "I'm coming," she called to her best friend. Getting up from her bed, she walked over to the open window, still in her pajamas.

"Hey Madison!" she called. Madison, as usual was carrying her new camcorder with her. She waved at Sakura.

"I brought you your homework from school. How are you feeling?"

"Great!" Sakura told her. "I feel a lot better now. Why don't you come on up to my room?"

"Okay, I'll be right up in a minute." Madison walked over to the door of the Kinomoto house, disappearing for a moment. She heard a thumping on the stairs, and jumped up to open the door to her bedroom. "Come on in, Madison" Madison walked into the slightly messy bedroom.

"Hey Kero," she said, sitting down on Sakura's desk chair and facing the bed, where Sakura sat next to Kero. "So, Li mentioned a little adventure last night. I'm so upset that I missed it, but I want you to tell me everything in an exclusive interview!" If they could have, stars would have appeared in her eyes as she took out her video camera and pointed it at Sakura and Kero. Sakura hung her head, slightly embarrassed.

"Well, um, lets see... It was yesterday when Li and I left really quickly while we were showing TK around town. We would have told you, but we decided that someone should stay with him so he wouldn't get too suspicious. Li felt Clow Reed's magic, and we thought that we should check it out."

Sakura shuddered slightly at the thought of the giant statue chasing them. "The magic we felt was coming from around the library. The statue across the street from it came to life just as we got there and started chasing us."

"Really?" Madison exclaimed, excitement making its way into her voice. "Tell me more. What happened next? Did you use the Clow cards?"

"That's the weird part Madison. I couldn't call the Clow key. The incantation that Kero taught me when I first started capturing the Clow cards didn't want to work! Li tried using his magic, but it didn't really do much to the statue. Then..." Sakura sighed, a slightly dreamy look coming into her eyes. "An angel showed up Madison. He said something like 'Shield of Heaven' and blocked the statue just as it was about to attack us."

"An angel? What did he look like Sakura?" Madison's eyes widened.

"He looked a lot like Yue, except he was smaller. If he looked a little more human, I'd say that he was around our age. He had blond hair that went down to his waist and huge white wings. It was so cool Madison. He even knew that I had magic. He was the one who helped me figure out what was wrong. I was so panicked about the statue, that I might never have figured out that I had to transform the Clow cards if he hadn't stepped in to help us."

"You transformed the Clow cards? Wow let me see Sakura!"

"I actually only transformed Firey," Sakura admitted, holding the newly transformed Star card up to the video camera. It was Pink and white, with the picture of Firey on one side, and a star on the other. On the bottom of the card, Sakura's name was written. "It's a good thing I figured out what to do. That statue would have squished us otherwise. I don't think that new guy could have held up that shield much longer."

"I don't think Sakura should trust him though." Kero commented. "At least not yet. We hardly know anything about him. Who knows what he wants."

"Speaking of new guys Sakura, it's a shame you weren't in school today." Madison shut off her camera as she ended the 'interview'. "We were playing basketball in gym class, and it was like a war between Eli and TK. Those two are naturals at basketball. We were playing in teams, but most of the game revolved around them. It was really cool to watch."

Sakura blushed slightly at the thought of the new boy TK. 'Get a hold of yourself Avalon' she thought. 'You definitely do not have a crush on TK'.

"Li was really good at the game too." Madison added. "I can't remember the last time we had a more exciting gym class. You'll be in school tomorrow, right Sakura? I hate to miss chances to tape you with my video camera. It's been so long since you finished capturing all the Clow cards. I can't wait to start making you some new battle costumes."

Sakura decided not to comment. 'Some of those battle costumes she comes up with are a little...strange.' She thought. Suddenly she looked up. "What is it Sakura?" Madison asked quickly. "Did you sense something?" She pulled out her video camera from wherever she had stashed it.

"Something's going on at the park," she told her friend, jumping off her bed and grabbing her pink cell phone. She quickly dialed Li's number. "Come on Li...pick up. Hello Li? It's Sakura. Did you sense that? Okay, Okay, of course you did. Meet me at the park in about 10 minutes all right? Kay bye." She stuffed the cell phone into the pocket of her jeans. "Come on Kero!" she shouted, already halfway down the stairs.

"Wait up Sakura!" the yellow bear shouted, zipping downstairs after her.

"Don't forget about me!" Madison added, following them and already recording with her video camera.


	6. Chapter 6: Hidden Faces

**Ghost Whisper**: Hello everyone! Sorry for making any of you actually reading this fic wait. I was really busy this weekend, and with going back to school and everything, I didn't have much time to update. 

Please, if you've been reading, review me. I would really like to hear from you, especially if you have ideas for my story.

* * *

**Chapter 6 – Hidden Faces**

"I'm sure I felt something here," Sakura told the little group, who had gathered at the park. It was just starting to get dark out, and they had been here for about an hour now. "Maybe whatever it was went away without doing anything," she suggested.

"It could be," Kero agreed, and Yue nodded silently. Still, it doesn't exactly make sense that someone would go to the trouble of using enough magic that we sense it, but have nothing happen."

* * *

Unknown to Sakura and the others, they had several watchers as they stood at the middle of Penguin Park, debating what to do. TK stood silently, hiding behind the Penguin slide. He had gathered all of his power, and was ready to become Hope at a moments notice if it turned out that Sakura was in danger. There was something about her... He was connected to her in a way he had never felt before – not even with the other digi-destined. The closest comparison for this bond he could find was with Angemon. 'I must protect her' he thought silently, unaware of how much his thoughts mirrored Yue's.

* * *

Both winged 'guardians' had vowed to protect her, though for different reasons. Yue protected her because she was the mistress of the Clow cards – now Sakura cards, and also because thought he didn't show it, he did care for the young girl whom he had fought in the final judgment. Her solemn refusal to hurt him, even though it was because she didn't want to hurt Julian, had in some way touched him.

"_No, I won't attack you! I won't hurt Julian!" Sakura shouted._

"_Foolish child!" Yue said, throwing an attack of what looked like diamond shards. _

Even when she finally brought out a Clow card, she had called forth Wood; a gentle spirit, so as not to hurt him. Though he had been able to turn wood back upon her, she had defeated him through sheer determination that she not lose her friends. Though he might never show her his feelings, he would keep them, holding them within, a part of him hidden to the world.

He was the secretive one. Though Clow Reed had created him, his personality was his own. The quiet speech, the hidden feelings. All were of his own making not Clow Reed's. This fierce protectiveness, which had once been for Clow Reed, only now went to Sakura...

Yue was wrenched from his thoughts by a flicker of magic making itself known at the edge of his consciousness. Further concentration revealed that there were two. One, a pure magic, full of strength and determination; something he had never felt before. This magic was not in use. Instead, it had been gathered, and felt ready to be released at any second. The other magic – 'It couldn't be!' was the only thought that he conceived. The other magic felt unmistakably like Clow Reed's.

"Sakura," The amber haired girl turned to look at him questioningly. "There are two magics nearby." Before she could answer, a strange rumble shook the ground of the park. With the sound of an explosion, an enormous gout of water erupted out of the ground, surrounding Madison, and carrying her upwards to be held in the middle of the funnel high above the ground.

* * *

"Madison!" Sakura yelled, feeling as if ice had frozen her heart. She quickly pulled her star key from the front of her battle costume, but before she could do anything, another geyser of water shot from the ground and dragged Li upwards. Without wasting anymore time, Sakura started reciting the incantation to release her staff.

"Oh key of the star, with powers burning bright, reveal the staff, and shine your light! Release!" Reacting instantly, the small key shaped charm grew, turning into her staff. Once more, a gout of water erupted, this time right below her. Just as it would have surrounded her, Kerobearos jumped, pushing her out of the way, only to be hit himself. "No! Kero!" Her shout echoed throughout the park.

Before another funnel of water could hit her, Yue's arms surrounded her as he took flight, carrying her into the air. Flying backward as fast as he could, he tried to avoid the water, which now began to chase them as if it were being controlled by something.

* * *

TK cursed himself for deciding to wait, and quickly loosed his powers. A bright gold and silver light shone from his hiding spot as he transformed into Hope. His hair grew, and his clothes changed, with his enormous white wings appearing. Keeping the wings tucked in slightly to avoid an awkwardness, he ran out from his hiding spot, just in time to see another figure, taller than him with white hair and wings take Sakura into the air.

Changing his glance to the three funnels staying in place and reaching toward the sky, he saw Sakura's two friends Madison and Li, and well as a lion figure also with wings. Perhaps these two new figures were the powers he had sensed earlier. But they definitely weren't the ones causing this mess - so who was it?

Another unfamiliar power caught his attention, and he turned his head sharply to look at the building on one side of the park. A three-story building with its roof high above the ground, yet three people – or creatures, still managed to get on top of it somehow. The reason was obvious, when he saw that two of the figures also had wings.

'Geeze, wings must be the fashion statement of today' was his wry thought. 'At least it explains how they got up there. I don't have to bother with 'wind harnessing spells' or anything like that. Still, if they're the one responsible for the water, I probably do have to worry. Better be careful before I start flying.'

As if one of the figures could read his thoughts, the person carrying Sakura was abruptly 'grabbed' and shaken by the wind. His arms slipped, causing Sakura to fall towards the unforgiving ground. Urgency lending to his speed, he quickly took to the air, disregarding earlier thoughts. The only thing on his mind now was that he had to save his friend.

* * *

"Aughhh!" Sakura screamed, watching in terror as the ground rushed up to meet her. Out of the corner of her eye, a green and gold blur shot towards her and caught her only a few feet from the ground.

"Are you okay?" She looked up and found herself staring into bright blue eyes. It was her guardian angel again. The same one who had saved her – Hope. 'Yes he is definitely cute.' She blushed at her thoughts.

"I – I'm fine" She blushed again at his concerned look. "Wait! Yue!" She glanced frantically back and forth trying to find her protector. There! Her eyes widened in horror as she saw the last of her friends be sucked into one of the funnels of water. "I have to save them." She told her angel. With a grave nod, he sank to the ground and set her down.

"I can not help you with this." He told her, not explaining why.

'Which card can I use to get them down? Windy and water won't work, and I definitely can't use the Freeze card. It would trap them in the water. Maybe...Yes! I can use the Wood card to pull them out of the water, and then Firey, which I've already transformed, to evaporate the water.' She grinned, and put her plan into action.

Pulling out the Wood card, she threw it up into the air to transform it. "I call upon the power of my star! Ancient forces near and far! Wood card transform all your might, and draw you power from my light! Wood card!" The card came down upon her staff with a flash of light, and transformed into a pink and white Star card.

As soon as it had transformed, Wood glided out of the card. The plant spirit created vines, which gently reached into the rapidly whirling water and pulled out her friends.

Sakura staggered as she felt Wood draw upon her own power. She felt so tired. 'No! I can't stop now,' she admonished herself. 'I still have to get rid of that water, or it will come back and go after us again.' She pulled herself upright, and threw the Firey card into the air, activating it as soon as it came down on her staff.

"Firey! Evaporate that water." Sakura sank to her knees, and watched as Firey, with its trademark smirk and folded arms, flew over to the funnels. It wrapped itself around each funnel in turn, causing it to turn into a harmless mist.

"So tired..." Kero dashed over to her with Madison and the others following close behind.

"Sakura, Are you okay?" He gave Hope, who was standing silently behind her a glare. "He didn't hurt you did he?"

Her new protector gave him a surprisingly sunny smile. "That would defeat the whole purpose of stopping her from falling to the ground now wouldn't it?" He turned to go, spreading his wings to their full length.

"Wait!" Turning around, he glanced at Yue who had, surprisingly, be the one to shout. "Who are you?" Suspicion ruled his whole expression.

"I've already told your friends," he said, smiling sweetly once more. "My name is Hope." Taking to the air, he began to glow a bright gold color, and in a single flash, he had vanished.


	7. Chapter 7: Stuck!

**Ghost Whisper**: Well, this is certainly a change. I haven't worked on this story in a while. /looks at last update date in January/ In a ummm... very long while I guess. Sorry for anyone who was really interested in this!

Thanks to Mathais-8888, who got me off my but and kept telling me to update!

* * *

**Chapter 7: Stuck!**

School was boring Sakura decided, as she listened to her teacher lecture them about the climate of Africa, and how it influenced the types of creatures living there. While normally geography was one of her favourite subjects, she just couldn't bring herself to be interested in it today. Instead, she was staring off into space, her chin resting in one hand.

'Maybe the reason Hope showed up has something to do with all the weird things that have been happening lately. I really don't think it could be a coincidence that he would show up right at this point in time.'

She sighed quietly, thinking of how he had rescued her yet again last night when she had been about to become a Sakura pancake on the pavement. He always seemed to show up just when she needed him the most, and then disappear almost as quickly as he came.

'It's kind of odd that I always sense Clow Reed's power whenever something weird happens though. Hope and Yue look so much alike... No! That's silly! Hope couldn't have anything to do with Clow Reed. Wouldn't he have showed up when the Clow cards were first released if he had?'

_/Bring/_

Sakura jumped in her seat as the bell for the end of class rang. With all of her daydreaming, she hadn't even noticed when the teacher's lecture came to an end. Normally, on the last class of the day, like this was, she would have been hopping in her seat for it to end.

'Maybe I should do that more often if it makes class go by faster.'

A couple of seats away, TK was giving her an odd look. "Are you okay Sakura? You kinda spaced out there. I was wondering if you would even hear the bell."

"Heh heh..." Sakura blushed. "Yeah, I was just day dreaming I guess. I was thinking about... umm... Mythology! You know, those old legends about wizards and exotic creatures and stuff."

TK gave her a wide smile. "That's cool. I always loved those stories myself. My favourites were always the ones about angels. My mom used to read them to me a lot when I was a kid..." He trailed off, his eyes darkening slightly in sadness, before quickly flashing back to their usual cheerfulness.

The change was so fast, that Sakura wasn't even sure it had happened. 'What could he be sad about,' she wondered. 'Could it be because his parents are always away on some kind of business trip?'

"I have a great book of angel stories at home. Do you want to borrow it TK?"

He paused for a moment, considering, though she could tell by the way that his eyes lit up that he would probably say yes. "Sure Sakura, I'm always up to seeing a few new stories. Should I come over to your house to pick it up?"

"That great. Any time after six should be fine. My dad's made a new rule that I'm supposed to have my homework done first if I want to have friends over, and I'm sure that you don't want to sit through that." She made a sour face at the thought of the math problems that were awaiting her.

"Okay then I'll come over some time around 7:30." Picking up his books from his desk with one hand, he gave her a quick wave with the other before leaving the classroom.

* * *

"This is getting really annoying," Sakura grumbled as she looked around the empty park. "It's the second time now that I've sensed something, and then it's vanished before we got here." Scowling, she shrunk her staff back to the size of a charm and placed it around her neck once more.

The burnt orange light of the sunset turned her white toga-like battle costume an amber color that closely matched her hair, and she squinted in the direction of the sun as she took one last look around the park for signs of anything unusual before they left.

"You don't suppose that it could be something moving, do you?" Keroberos asked, turning to give her what looked like a questioning glance on his lion face.

Yue replied for her. "It could have been something moving, but even if it were, it is gone now. There is no trace of magic anywhere around the city, nor any sign of a disturbance."

"I guess we'll just have to go back home then," Sakura sighed. "There's no point in staying out here if nothing's happening. And besides that, Takeru was supposed to come over to my house to pick up a book I'm lending him tonight. If I'm not there, he's going to think something's up."

Madison grinned. "Is that the only reason he's coming over Sakura? Come on! Spill the beans! I'll bet you've been planning some sort of romantic dinner for two..." The black haired girl sidled up to her friend, nudging her in the side with a sly wink.

In the background Keroberos and Yue sweat dropped.

"Madison!" Sakura gave her a demon glare. "It's nothing like that! He's just coming over to pick up that book about angels that Tory gave me for my last birthday!"

Madison only giggled and raised her eyebrows at Sakura before running down the street as the amber haired girl gave chase. The two guardians sighed and followed after the girls. They didn't feel the surge of magical power that was suddenly released, as somewhere hidden in the darkness a golden staff swung downward.

'Just what I need,' Sakura thought. 'Not only is there some kind of false alarm with the Clow Cards, but then it just has to start raining on the way back.' Sighing, she reached up and began to ring out her hair. To her supreme irritation, Yue was not even the slightest bit damp, even though he had returned to the house at a stately pace suited to a prince. Keroberos, at least, was looking decidedly wet.

"It's not fair," she complained to the moon guardian when they reached the doorstep. "How come you don't get affected by the rain?" Yue only raised an eyebrow, looking slightly amused – if one could imagine that on his mostly expressionless face.

"Whatever." She sighed, turning to peak in through the window of her house. The light in the living room was still on, and Tory was sitting on the couch reading a book. "You two better change back now. We're definitely not going to be able to get past Tory with you in your guardian forms."

Nodding silently, Yue began to push the power of the moon, which supported his magical form back inside of himself. As he did so, the magic circle that had been Clow Reed's symbol appeared in glowing gold below his feet as he floated of the ground and allowed his wings to enfold him.

Keroberos yelped, ducking behind a bush to hide himself so that Julian wouldn't see him. "Next time, warn me when you're going to do that," he said sourly. A few moments later, the white feathers spread apart again to reveal Yue... unchanged.

"Huh? What happened Yue?"

Yue gave his mistress a Look, which said it should have been obvious. "I can't transform." He told her.

Keroberos walked around Yue a few times, examining every inch of him. "Well nothing looks different," he stated. "Try it again. Perhaps you just weren't concentrating enough."

"There is nothing wrong with my concentration." Yue told him simply. However, he once again began pulling his magic back inside of himself beginning the sequence that was supposed to bring him back into his borrowed form. His wings dropped away a second time, showing the group that indeed, nothing had happened.

"This is so not good," Sakura groaned dejectedly, as she began to hit her forehead against the side of the house. "TK is going to be here any minute, and you guys still can't change back, and he's going to see you and..."

"Perhaps we can hide in your room Mistress?" Yue suggested calmly.

"I would do that," Sakura moaned, "except that I'm lending him that book, and it would be rude not to invite him in for a minute. Besides that, how am I supposed to get you past Tory? He would see if we tried to sneak you past him. . ." Her voice trailed off as she glanced upward and her eyes lit on the window to her room. "That's it!"

Sakura pushed up the window in her bedroom and leaned out. "Okay Kero, you first," she called quietly. The lion-like creature raised his wings and flew upward to the open window. Poking his head in, he gave a grunt as he found himself stuck. His wingspan was too large to fit through. Backing out, he tried again from a slightly different angle. No luck.

"It's no use," he told Sakura, struggling to fit himself in again. "The windows just not big enough."

Yue sighed from his vantage point beside the sun guardian. Sometime during the commotion he had flown up beside him. "Try folding up your wings," he suggested.

Keroberos stopped moving quickly and gave a sheepish look. "Oh. I hadn't thought of that." He folded his wings up. His back end fell quickly, as both sets of paws struggled for something to pull himself into the house. His front paws hooked into the windowsill, and his back ones... well let's just say that Yue wasn't happy about being used for leverage.

Finally, Keroberos managed to get inside the room, where he flopped himself comfortably on the bed. He scowled at Yue, who tucked his wings in gracefully, and slid carefully into Sakura's bedroom. The lion muttered under his breath about moon guardians who were too perfect for their own good.

"Okay you guys," Sakura told the two. "You're going to have to hide in the washroom for now. Tory's watching TV, so he shouldn't be a problem – I think. Just don't make a lot of noise okay? I'll try not to have TK here for too long." The doorbell rang, and Sakura 'eeped', pushing Yue and Keroberos in the direction of the washroom. "Hurry up and hide!" she told them.

"I got it Tory!" She shouted down to her brother, as she took the stairs two at a time. She pulled open the front door to reveal TK.

"Hey Sakura," he smiled. "I hope I didn't come at a bad time or anything. You look a little out of breath." The golden haired boy cocked his head curiously at her panting form.

"It's nothing," she told him. "I was just running down the stairs that's all. Come on up to my room, and I'll show you the book." TK nodded and placed his shoes and umbrella to the side. She ignored the suspicious look Tory shot TK and herself as she led the boy upstairs. 'That brother of mine is too protective for his own good. I'm just bringing TK up to my room. It's not like we're going to make out or something.' Her face flamed at the idea that had made it into her head. 'Bad Sakura, bad Sakura. . .'

"Here it is", she pronounced cheerfully, handing him the white and gold book. On the cover, a golden-haired angel was kneeling in supplication; it's hands in a position of prayer. "It's got a lot of great stories. The one about the angel called Nozomi was always my favourite, but they're all really nice. You'll have to let me know what you think."

"Thanks." He smiled. "Maybe sometime I'll bring one of mine to school and you can borrow it. I'm sure I'll have one that you haven't read before."

"That'd be great! Thanks TK." A muffled thump could be heard from down the hall, and she cringed lightly, hoping that TK hadn't heard it. Thankfully he gave no evidence that he had. 'I need a distraction.' She thought.

"Do you want to go get some hot chocolate? You're probably still cold from walking in the rain like that – Cherry Grove Lane isn't exactly a short walk, even if it isn't too far away." Without waiting for an answer, she ushered him from the room and down the stairs.

TK looked back over his shoulder, fixing the girl with confused sapphire eyes. "I'd love that Sakura, but I think I'll have to pass it up this time."

Internally, Sakura sighed with disappointment and relief. Disappointment that he was leaving and couldn't stay any longer, and relief that he wouldn't be at he house long enough to notice any other irregularities such as thumps from supposedly unoccupied rooms.

"I have . . . some extra projects at home that I have to finish," he continued, regret in his eyes. "Maybe some other time though."

Sakura allowed some of her disappointment to show in her eyes, carefully masking anything else. "Yeah, maybe some other time," she agreed, walking him to the door. As he turned to leave, she put one hand on his shoulder, blushing at the contact. "Let me know what you think of the book, okay?"

"Sure," he said, smiling cheerfully. "Oh, and Sakura; you might want to get your brother to check the plumbing in your house! I thought I heard something from the bathroom!"

The brown haired girl sunk to the ground as she leaned against the now closed door. 'Could he know?' she wondered. The thought was dismissed almost as suddenly as it had come, however, as she heard another thump from the washroom upstairs.

Racing to the room where she had hidden her guardians, she opened the door only to be nearly crushed by Kero's large form as he fell out of the door.

"Next time," the winged lion said dazedly, as he lay on the floor with swirling eyes. "Please choose a larger room." Behind him, Yue strolled out calmly, dusting his hands off in a satisfied manner.

* * *

TBC

* * *

**Ghost Whisper:** Boring chapter, I know. . . but it needed to be done! I swear! And there will be a lot more excitement in the next chapter! I promise! At least I managed to get it out, even if it was a long time in the writing. ;;

- - - Oh yeah! New author pen name, 'cause of 's new rules. I didn't like the number on the end of my name.

- - - Oh yeah again! See that little purple button below? It's calling you. . . You want to review. . . you will review. . .


	8. Chapter 8: Connections

**Ghost Whisper:** Another wait, another chapter. I do realize that I have a tendency of not updating very often, but I will assure you that I have no intentions of abandoning this story. It will be finished! Gets in fighting position in front of computer It's just a matter of how long it takes... Once again, my thanks to those thoughtful souls who have decided to review. It always makes my day!

Disclaimer: I don't own either Card Captor Sakura, or Digimon, and after eight chapters I don't think I'm going to say it either. If after this long any lawyers reading this haven't figured it out, then I worry for my country's judicial system.

* * *

**Chapter 8: Connections**

The night was dark, just as it had been every night since he'd moved here. The house he'd secured for himself using his remaining excess magic after his sudden transformation, was set back just far enough from the road, and with enough trees in the yard that the dim light of the street lamps barely made it to the windows. Though the city around him was brightly lit, it was dark enough near his house that TK had an excellent view of the stars. Every night, he sat at the large window in his bedroom and looked at those stars.

The blond boy sighed. It was hard to keep up the pretence he'd arranged for himself when he'd 'moved' to Reedington. The people were friendly, and accepting of what he'd said (and what he hadn't said) about his life. But...there would always be something missing. And each time he looked at the stars he remembered all the things he'd left behind in the process of saving his brother and friends.

_/ "Matt... why do you think the stars are the same in the Digital World as they are at home?" The much younger TK shifted from where he was laying on his back in the dirt outside the empty train, onto his side, and looked questioningly at his older brother. _

_"I don't know," Matt replied. "For the same reason they have trains, phone booths, and power lines here I guess. Everything was based on some part of our world." /_

A soft smile crossed his lips as the memory surfaced. The night he and his brother had stayed up later than all the others to watch the stars had been one of his favorites in all the time they had spent in the Digital World. It had been one of the few moments when he could forget about monsters attacking them, and trying to get home.

_'It's funny,'_ he thought wistfully. _'When I was in the Digiworld, all I could think about was what I would do when I got home – how much I'd tell Mom that I loved her. Now I'm purposefully staying away not only from her, but everyone I knew.'_

From somewhere within him, he thought he felt a small probing of emotion, as though he was trying to comfort himself. TK would have called it foreign, except that he knew very well that it had come from within him – and there was only one possible explanation for that. "Thanks Patamon," he whispered, a soft smile coming to his face.

The soft comforts were one of the few things that allowed him to get through the day with the cheerful smile on his face intact. That, and the purpose he had chosen within hours of coming to his new home. The determination to protect the girl with such power helped him stop his thoughts from wandering paths he'd rather keep them away from.

_'Is this what Patamon and all the digimon felt when they met us Digidestined?'_ he wondered absently. The thought caused a small grin to perk up the corners of his mouth. It was fitting, he supposed, that he would be searching for a human partner (of sorts) now that he was in part, a digimon.

TK rubbed his hands together warming them up. They had gotten chilled after sitting, near motionless, for so long in front of the enormous window. _'I think,'_ he decided, _'that it's time to get down to business. If I want to do my job right, then I had better start taking it seriously. All the power in the world won't do me any good if I have to constantly rely on instinct to use it.'_

With that, the blond boy pulled him self up and drew the heavy red curtains to block out the prying eyes of any passing strangers walking down the street. His house may be some distance from the road, and obscured by trees, but that didn't mean it totally prevented flashes of light or other strange occurrences from being at least partially visible.

He moved into the centre of the room and dragged the area rug on the floor off to the side. He didn't want it getting scorched just in case he had any...accidents while practicing. Finally ready, TK let his arms falls to his sides, completely relaxed as he focussed on the feeling of power somewhere within him. Though he couldn't 'feel it' the way one felt heat, it became real to him as he continued to concentrate. He imagined that it was a swirling ball of pale blue and gold, almost like a mist that hung somewhere in the middle of his chest where his ribs connected.

TK gave a small sigh, breathing out, before taking as much air as he could into his lungs. In his mind's eye, the ball of misty energy pulsed in time with his heart. _'I wonder if this is what Patamon saw when he digivolved...'_

Opening his eyes, TK saw that the world had changed. Everything in the room, from the hardwood floors, to the window seemed overlaid with a soft glow. The window, in particular, seemed brighter than many other places. On the other hand, while the computer in the corner had its own colored aura, unlike everything else in the room, it also had a small string of glowing numbers that stuck to the CPU and faded off into an unknown place.

"A connection to the Digiworld?" The part within him that he had identified as Patamon hummed in quiet agreement. Curious, he reached out to touch it – and received the shock of his life. With a loud shout, he hit the wall behind him and slumped to the floor coughing so hard it felt as though his lungs were ripping apart. _'What...?'_ Everything within him seemed to be vibrating, a continuous buzz like static. It was painful, and he gritted his teeth, hoping it would go away.

"Not such a good idea, I guess," he groaned after a few minutes, realizing that the buzz wasn't going to go away any time soon. He reached out a hand to steady himself on the wall as he pushed himself off the floor, and noticed almost immediately that something wasn't right. TK stared wide-eyed at his hand, as it fizzled in and out of existence like a poor quality TV image.

0-0-0-0

* * *

Sakura hummed quietly to herself as she turned to the next page of her book. She was laying on top of her bed, on her stomach kicking her feet forwards and backwards – her favourite position to read in. The landing of a winged gold lion's wing on her head disturbed her, and she fell face first into the open book with a squawk.

"Kero!"

"Ehh... sorry Sakura." The bear rumbled, shaking his head sheepishly. "I just got a little carried away with your new _'Pretty Witch Hunter'_ game." He pointed to the controller laying on the ground. He'd finally managed to apply just enough pressure with his claws to tap the buttons on the controller – though he'd given it numerous scratches in the attempt.

Sakura almost felt sorry for her old controller in its sad state. Still, until she could figure out how to get them back to their borrowed forms, there was little else she could do. A bored Kero tended to be a hyper Kero, whatever his form was. It was only sensible to find something to occupy him with. Too bad her controller had to be sacrificed though...

She sighed, closing the book. "You do know that moving yourself won't make the controller work any better – right?"

Kero frowned, and crossed his arms across his chest. "Of course! But it's not my fault if she can't move fast – and I was so close to making it to the last level too..." He groaned, picking up the controller gently in his teeth, and placing it back in its rightful place on top of the TV.

From his perch on the bench against the window, Yue let out an exasperated breath. "Only you could turn pressing buttons into a poor attempt at acrobatics."

"Hey!" Kero growled.

"No fighting!" Sakura exclaimed loudly, throwing up her arms. "You two will make enough noise to bring Dad or Tory up here – and I can't explain either of you away as a new stuffed animal!"

Yue and Kero simultaneously turned their heads in opposite directions. "Of course, Mistress," the moon guardian said quietly. "Have you any new ideas?" He stood up to look out the window at the rising moon. "We may be running out of time. Keroberos and I cannot stay here for the whole night. You have school in the morning, and if someone comes into your room, it could be disastrous."

"I know," Sakura groaned, hanging her head. She reached over to her dresser drawer and pulled the 'Sakura' book out, opening it and pulling out her collection of Clow cards and Sakura cards. The gold and red cards were far in the majority over the pink and white ones. "I just wish I knew which card to use in order to stop whatever it is that won't let you transform. I don't have any ideas though – and taking a break didn't really help. My head's as blank as ever." Slowly, she traced the pink edge of the Firey card, smiling at the feeling of fuzzy warmth that came from it. "They feel so warm...' she murmured.

"It's because of your connection to them," Keroberos spoke up helpfully from beside her bed. "The new Sakura cards seem to be drawing power from your star, rather than the Sun and Moon, like the original Clow cards. Each time you transform one, it's energy source changes, and its connection to you grows stronger."

"Kero...does that mean..." Sakura picked up the Erase card, and paled. "The Clow cards – the feel colder. Does that have anything to do with the new power source?!"

The lion frowned, padding closer to her, and draping his head over her shoulder to look closely at the Erase. "I'm not sure but – before, all the cards were powered by Clow's magic – and he was a very powerful magician Sakura. It might be that since you've started transforming the cards, their connection with the Clow magic has been but off, and they have no where to draw power from."

"But why are they getting colder?!" Sakura cried, upset. "They're harder to feel than they ever were! It's like – like they're fading away! Maybe, if I take to long to transform them, all their power will leave, and the spirits in them will be gone forever!" She shuffled frantically through all of the Clow cards, feeling each one in turn. Her suspicions seemed to be correct: all of the Clow cards felt distant, as though they were turning into normal cards without magic.

Yue stepped forward, a concerned look in his eyes. "Mistress,"

_'I can't let that happen to them,'_ Sakura thought, pulling the star pendant out from underneath her shirt. _'I can't let them fade away!'_ There was a hollow echoing sound in her mind, as she called forth the magic in her pendant, feeling the magic circle spring up underneath her.

"Oh key of the star, with power burning bright, reveal the staff, and shine your light! Release!" There was a tremor in the air underneath her hand, and the tiny pendant stretched, growing into the full-length wand. She gripped the pink handle tightly, and threw several cards up into the air.

Wide-eyed, Keroberos stepped forward, not sure whether or not her should interrupt her. He had an idea of what she was about to do, and it was probably quite dangerous, at the same time, interrupting her might be even worse. With as much magic as she was calling up, to stop her now might cause it all to backfire, which would have terrible consequences. He remembered going with Clow Reed once to help tend to a wizard who had burned all their magic out in an accident...

"I call upon the power of my star, ancient forces near and far, Clow cards transform all your might, and draw your power from my light! Star cards!" One by one, Sakura thrust her wand upward towards the cards that were floating in the air in a ring above her head. "Arrow!" There was a flash of light, as the card changed from red and gold, to pink and white. "Libra! Mist! Flower! Sweet!" She swayed slightly, feeling her legs start to go weak.

_'No. I have to continue,'_ she thought. _'I have to transform them all, before they fade away!'_

"Wave!" Sakura panted, leaning against her bed. "D-dash!" At that, her knees turned to jelly, and she felt herself falling gracelessly to the ground, the room spinning around her faster then she could keep track of. "I...feel dizzy," she moaned. Before she could hit the ground, hands hooked underneath her arms, and she looked up to see Yue's face swaying fuzzily above her. "Thank you..."

"That was not a good idea!" Yue told her sharply. "Your powers can't handle that kind of power transfer or drain yet. You could have burned yourself out!" There was a pinched, pale look on his face. Was he worried about her? Slowly he eased her to the ground, and Sakura hung her head, ashamed, and without the strength to look up anyway.

"I'm sorry," she mumbled. "I just – I can't let them fade away! They're my friends!" With a great effort, she managed to drag her head up and looked at Yue with tears in her eyes. Keroberos nudged her in the back, causing her to slump forward more.

"That may be true," he told her seriously. "But you can't help them at all if transforming so many at once exhausts you for the next week."

"And transforming so many at once can't be good for the cards either," Yue nodded at the Dash card, which was hopping back and forth frantically in the window. It's eyes were wild, and it shuddered back from her when Sakura reached at hand toward it tentatively.

"What's wrong?" Sakura asked plaintively. "Dash - you aren't afraid of me, are you?" The Dash card growled, shaking its head, as though to clear it.

"He's confused," she turned to face Yue, who had spoken quietly. "You transformed so many at once, that when you tried to transfer your magic to him, it wasn't strong enough to get a good hold. Now he's trapped between magics, and the strain is making it hard for him to recognize anyone. He could turn completely feral if he doesn't have a steady source of magic soon."

At that moment Dash jumped out of the window, tearing off down the street. Sakura watched, horriefied. "Dash! Wait!"

0-0-0-0-0

* * *

TK looked sharply out the large window, as he felt first a large surge of the magic that he had come to identify as Sakura's. Minutes later, there was another surge, but this one seemed... different. It was as though the gentle power of Sakura's star had turned into a raging fireball. And by the feel of the aura, it was so scared it was liable to destroy something.

"Now is not a good time for this," he muttered worriedly, taking a look his hand, which was still fizzling in and out of view. Quickly, he opened the window, and jumped carefully down to the ground. There was no other option but to transform. He couldn't risk someone getting hurt.

_'I just hope that whatever happened to me won't effect my transformation to Hope...'_

0-0-0-0-0

* * *

**Ghost Whisper:** So. A looooooong wait – I know. I apologize deeply, but this fic just isn't on my priority list right now. It's pretty far down, in fact, mostly because it's one of my oldest fics. Still, I have lots of ideas for it, so I will be working on it – but mostly as a back-up when writer's block hits for more other stories.

Even so, reviews are appreciated. If you like the story, let me know – it's possible that I'll move it up in my priority list. :)


End file.
